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Structured Workshops for Teachers to Facilitate Implementation of Alimentos Divertidos, an Inquiry-based Food Science and Engineering P-12 Program

Abstract

Alimentos Divertidos is an inquiry-based science and engineering program for P-12 students. To promote the experiments and encourage implementation of Alimentos Divertidos in schools, our faculty presented workshops at a regional conference on September 2007 and 2008. Around 250 and 280 (in 2007 and 2008, respectively) teachers from the state of Quintana Roo (Mexico) were engaged in a 3-day summer conference, during which they attended several distinguished lectures and seminars including How People Learn, and a workshop where they performed and learned how to teach five Alimentos Divertidos experiments and an engineering teaching kit (ETK), using foods as tools to facilitate engineering and science learning.

Information to report workshop outcomes was obtained from observational and interview field notes from the formal sessions, participant workshop evaluations and an Alimentos Divertidos exit survey. Responses to the survey indicated that the workshop was successful in preparing teachers and encouraging adoption of the experiments and the ETK in classrooms. More than 200 attendees completed surveys each year. Most teachers agreed that the experiments and the ETK are interesting and useful. In general, attendees rated them as good or excellent and felt very or somewhat comfortable performing and teaching the experiments and the ETK after the workshop. More than 88% of the teachers plan to use the experiment discovering papillae in their classes; 74% the experiment color effect on sensory preference, 83% the experiment effect of seeing and smell senses on identifying food flavors, 82% the experiment effect of selected substrates on yeast activity through gas formation, and 59% plan to use experiment fingerprints and microorganisms in their classrooms while more than 75% of the teachers plan to use the ETK entitled the floating egg.

More than 90% of Pre-school and Elementary teachers plan to use two or three experiments and the ETK in their classes, while 70% of Middle and High School teachers will use only one or two and the ETK. The written material provided for all the experiments was rated as very helpful. Suggestions for improvement include: funds, materials, more preparation time, follow- up worksheets to copy and hand out to students, and lists for materials (including suppliers).

Introduction

Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP) is a Mexican private institution of higher learning committed to first-class teaching, public service, research and learning in a wide range of academic disciplines including economics, business administration, the physical and social sciences, engineering, humanities, and the arts. UDLAP places a high priority on reaching out to its local community. Such outreach fosters service opportunities so P-12 students can discover science, engineering, and technology careers. Service is a fundamental aspect of being a professional and thus fundamental to our students’ education.

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Palou, E., & López-Malo, A., & Gazca, L. (2009, June), Structured Workshops For Teachers To Facilitate Implementation Of "Alimentos Divertidos", An Inquiry Based Food Science And Engineering P 12 Program Paper presented at 2009 Annual Conference & Exposition, Austin, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--4972